How 'bout them Jackets?!?
So, Saturday's win against Virginia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium was the first time since 1962 that the Yellow Jackets defeated a top-5 ranked opponent at home. Pretty impressive stuff.
Though high on the preseason buzz (pun only partially intended), I have to admit that I've had some significant concerns about the team for most of the year. After Clemson and Miami, I wondered if opponents had figured out Paul Johnson's offense. Then, with later wins over Mississippi State and FSU, I wondered how far we could go with a defense that couldn't seem to stop anyone. But with the victory over VT last night, I think we've seen the power of this Ramblin' Wreck when it's firing on all cylinders.
I still have some lingering concerns about the defense, but we've got some true freshmen really stepping up to the plate when it matters, and I think we'll keep seeing improvement for the rest of the season. That said, I miss the John Tenuta defenses of the Chan Gailey era, and I think a Johnson offense combined with a Tenuta defense could put Tech into contention for a national title, but Tenuta's due for a head coaching gig, and I doubt we could pull him out of West Bend for another stint at DC.
With the remaining schedule, assuming we can avoid the typical loss to a vastly outmatched opponent, we should be able to go 11-1 for the season. I've watched too many GT-UGA games for me to take that game for granted, but I have to say it'll be a nice change to go into that game the favorite.
That said, I do have one lingering concern about the team under Paul Johnson's leadership. As we saw in the loss to LSU in the Peach Bowl (I refuse to call it by it's new name) last year, a well-prepared team who has a season's worth of film to watch can do a good job preparing for the triple option, and stifle Tech's offense. Whether this is just an isolated incident, or what we can expect any time a team has a month to prepare for a big game is anybody's guess, but until we see some bowl games against similarly ranked opponents fall into the W column, it's going to be a concern I have.
But...that's a concern for another time. For now, I'm just happy savoring the sweet taste of Hokie.
Though high on the preseason buzz (pun only partially intended), I have to admit that I've had some significant concerns about the team for most of the year. After Clemson and Miami, I wondered if opponents had figured out Paul Johnson's offense. Then, with later wins over Mississippi State and FSU, I wondered how far we could go with a defense that couldn't seem to stop anyone. But with the victory over VT last night, I think we've seen the power of this Ramblin' Wreck when it's firing on all cylinders.
I still have some lingering concerns about the defense, but we've got some true freshmen really stepping up to the plate when it matters, and I think we'll keep seeing improvement for the rest of the season. That said, I miss the John Tenuta defenses of the Chan Gailey era, and I think a Johnson offense combined with a Tenuta defense could put Tech into contention for a national title, but Tenuta's due for a head coaching gig, and I doubt we could pull him out of West Bend for another stint at DC.
With the remaining schedule, assuming we can avoid the typical loss to a vastly outmatched opponent, we should be able to go 11-1 for the season. I've watched too many GT-UGA games for me to take that game for granted, but I have to say it'll be a nice change to go into that game the favorite.
That said, I do have one lingering concern about the team under Paul Johnson's leadership. As we saw in the loss to LSU in the Peach Bowl (I refuse to call it by it's new name) last year, a well-prepared team who has a season's worth of film to watch can do a good job preparing for the triple option, and stifle Tech's offense. Whether this is just an isolated incident, or what we can expect any time a team has a month to prepare for a big game is anybody's guess, but until we see some bowl games against similarly ranked opponents fall into the W column, it's going to be a concern I have.
But...that's a concern for another time. For now, I'm just happy savoring the sweet taste of Hokie.